A Glass Slipper
by Scentsy
Summary: Riza Hawkeye has been raised by her step mother and her step sisters for eleven years as their maid. Roy Mustang has been raised as a prince his whole life, and now is being pushed into marriage. When they meet at a ball, their lives will change forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, I hope you enjoy this. Don't worry, the characters will still be in-character, but playing the parts of the people in the fairy tale. The homunculi's names will be changed just a bit, since it would be odd to have a character named Gluttony or Lust. xD**

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There was once a young girl, her father and her mother. They were always happy with eachother, and always were with one another. They were the definition of a perfect family.

One fateful year, her mother became very ill. Despite all their attempts to find a cure, her mother died of influenza seven days before the girl's fifth birthday. For months she cried herself to sleep each night, and it wasn't until that sorrow stopped that she was able to cope with only her father.

Two years later, her father began seeing a wicked lady, named Lustette. Though she was kind to the father and her two daughters, Gluttona and Envie. Gluttona was short and plump, and Envie was tall and skinny.

Not long after their marriage, her father was mysteriously killed by food poisoning the year of the girl's eighth birthday. For hours on end she cried. In the morning, she woke up crying. She cried over her meals. At night she cried herself to sleep. But after a few long months, she was able to cope. However, Lustette was even worse to her than ever before, jealous of her beauty. Instead of treating her as a daughter of her own, she made her a maid for their large household that they bought with her father's left over money. For eleven years she'd been cooking, sewing, washing, dusting, and more than you could ever think of for Lustette and her two daughters.

Despite all of her troubles, she remained hopeful that her life would someday turn around. Now, nineteen years old, she still worked for her step mother, but little did any of them know, it was all about to change.

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**Okay, it's a short chapter, but it's more of a prologue than a chapter. I'll have the next up soon, and that's where it will all begin!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the.. uh.. short wait. xD Again, I'm going to do my best to make Riza, Riza, not Cinderella. Kay? Kay.**

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With a heavy yawn at the crack of dawn, she stretched out her arms and readied herself for the coming day. Every morning she woke up just after the sun came up, and went to bed just after it went down.

She crinkled her toes as she lifted her thin blanket that barely kept her warm, slipping her small feet into her slippers instead of the cold hardwood floor. Her night gown barely touched the floor's surface as she stepped sleepily to her mirror.

In her mirror, she saw herself staring back at her. Her hands trailed up to the braid on her right side of her head. Slowly she unbraided the long blonde hair from it, and then worked on the second. When her hair was sitting on her shoulders, she used her hands to comb through it. Her bangs fell to one side of her face, her reddish brown eyes slowly changing from tired to refreshed as she used the cold, wet rag to wash her face.

As soon as she finished grooming herself, she stepped swiftly to the bed. If she didn't hurry with her personal things, she wouldn't be on time to deliver and pickup laundry, as well as breakfast for the day.

After her bed was neatly made, she stepped over to the window and opened it, just to get some free time to her own self. It wasn't often she had time to spare.

In the distant, purple morning sky, birds flew through the cloudless air. It was beautiful.

"If only I was a bird," she would often say to herself. "Then I would fly away from here."

A loud 'ding' went off twice in the middle of the city, and Riza scowled. It seemed that no clock was on her side. They were always out to get her working and out of her dreams. Unfortunately, she knew the girls would all be waking shortly, so there was no time to loose. She would have to listen to the clock yet again.

Dressed in a ripped gray dress and a white apron over it, she opened her creaky wooden door. Her room was the attic, so she has two flights of stairs to step down. In no time, the girls would be yelling for her. She would have to hurry. This always happened when she daydreamed. First thing she knew she was dancing with a prince, next she was delivering tea.

When she did get down to the laundry room, she did not waste time filling three white baskets full of each of their clothes. After years of practice, she could easily balance one basket on each hand, and one of her head. Quickly she pushed the door open just as she heard from upstairs, "Elizabeth!"

Convinced things wouldn't always be this way, she forced herself up the first flight of stairs to the bedrooms. The first of the three belonged to Gluttona.

"Good morning, Gluttona," Riza greeted her step sister as she opened the door, setting down the first of the baskets.

"It's about time. Take the basket by the door, and be careful with them!" Gluttona grumbled back, and Riza nodded.

"Yes, Gluttona," she said with the kindest voice she could while she balanced her basket of dirty clothes in her empty hand.

"Good morning, Envie," she said as she stepped into Envie's room while she set down her basket of clean clothes and replaced it with her basket of dirty clothes.

"What took you so long? I want my clothes clean in my room on time next time, or else I'll tell Mother on you," she warned while Riza left the room.

"Yes Envie," she said, forcing a smile. How she wanted to strangle their throats! But she couldn't let her emotions take over like that.

"Good morning, Lustette," Riza exchanged the clean clothes for the dirty clothes next to the door.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," she returned the greeting, stroking her small cat. "Please bring up breakfast in twenty minutes, will you?"

"Yes, Lustette," she nodded as she left with the three baskets.

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"Hayate, there must be some other solution," she stroked her dog's fur as she stared out her attic window. "I've been stuck here for eleven years! I mean, there must be some reason, right? I must have done something wrong. Perhaps it all started when I used Mother's earings without asking."

Hayate barked in reply.

"Yes, I believe you're right. I shouldn't blame myself for my own parents' deaths. My mother died of sickness and my father was killed by that wretch," she looked towards the floor. "But I must not give up hope. My time will come, you'll see."

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"Elizabeth!" was repeated about two times before she was actually ready with the breakfast and walking up the stairs to their rooms. Because she forgot to close her bedroom door, Hayate was curiously sniffing around behind her.

"I'm starving!" Gluttona muttered as she set down the plate next to her bed, and immediately she began eating. "Go away."

"I want my food in her earlier, thanks," Envie yelled as she set down the plate next to her bed, and picked at her food. "Go away."

"Bring it here, Elizabeth," Lustette motioned with her hand, and took a drink of her tea. "Thank you. Please leave now."

As soon as Riza made it out to the hallway, she gave a heavy sigh. It was so much work, but it was all she could do for now. Suddenly there were two high pitched screams.

"Mother! Mother! The dog is in my room!" Gluttona trudged out of her room, past Riza.

"Yuck! It ate my bagel!" Envie barged out of her doors, past Riza. They both stepped into Lustette's room.

Riza glared at Hayate, who hid his tail while he ran up the stairs to her room. The girls both stepped out of their mother's room at the same time.

"Elizabeth," she called from inside. Riza looked at each of the girls, and walked inside the room. "Close the door." Just as she did as was told, the girls stepped towards the door, only to have it closed in their faces.

"What's this I hear about your _mutt_ in the girls' bedrooms?" she stirred her tea.

"Well you see, I forgot to close my door, and Hayate must have gotten out. But please don't scold him, he's just a curious little thing. I will take--"

"Silence," Lustette set her tea down, and Riza was silent. "Don't let it happen again, understand?"

"Yes, Lustette. I will make sure that--"

"Hush," she said harshly, and Riza was silent again. "As punishment, you will be given a few extra chores for today. I want you to clean the floors--"

"I already cleaned them," Riza said proudly.

"Clean them again," she said in a rather rude tone. "Also, sweep the stairs, and give Carl here a bath." The cat hid itself under the covers at the word 'bath'. Riza didn't dare drop her shoulders as she nodded.

"Yes, Lustette."

"Now go, and take Carl with you," she pulled Carl from the covers, and Riza took the fat cat from her. As much as he tried to get away, she had too much practice to let him.

Someday, things would be different.

That's what she kept telling herself.

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**Awesome! This is so much fun. Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be staring: Roy Mustang! Wahooooooo!**


	3. Chapter 3

He would be king some day. That was just the way it went. A first born baby boy in a royal family was always named king when the father resigned, unless he was somehow unable to follow through.

Roy was the only boy among his many sisters, and was going to become king very soon. If he could find a wife, that is. How he anticipated and dreamed of being king, but he couldn't get to that position until he married. It would have been easier to find a woman to fall in love with if his father wasn't so pushy about it. He could tell that his father was more excited for him to fill the position than he was. Or maybe it was simply that he wanted to see his grandchildren before he was dead.

"How hard is it? A girl and a boy meet, and that's it! You get married!" his father exclaimed from across the chess board.

"If I may," the Grand Duke, Alex Louis Armstrong, added in,"It isn't that easy. It takes time to fall in love."

"Love shmove," the king scoffed, moving his piece. "You don't need to be in love to get married. That is blasphemy!"

"Didn't you love Mother?" Roy asked, catching the short king offguard.

"Of course I loved your Mother, after some time to get used to living with eachother!"

"If you say so, Father," he rolled his eyes, sitting back in his chair.

"You're never going to find a wife this way. Go! Leave and find a wife for yourself! It'll put some rest on my poor old heart knowing that I may be able to see my grandchildren when they grow," the king suggested.

"I will not resort to just any princess. I kindly request that you stop this immediately," Roy folded his arms over his chest.

"But you must! Find then, go on a quest to fall in love, or whatever you call it! Please, don't sit around waiting for it to happen, my dear son," the king pleaded.

"Getting to old to see your grandchildren? That is preposterous. You looked like a two year old child just now, and you claim to be old."

"_Roy, _please."

"Father!" There was rage behind his voice. He was not all that great about keeping his cool.

"If I may," Armstrong spoke,"You could always have a get together to clear your minds."

"I've got it!" The king yelled with his finger pointing to the sky. There was a long silence before he spoke again. "A ball!"

"A ball? What do you mean?" Roy looked at him questionably.

"We will host a ball, and invite.. well... all the young maidens in the kingdom!" He had sign of excitement on his face.

Now, Roy did not appreciate being pushed into marriage. But _that_ many young girls in one ballroom fighting to be with him? That sounded like something he wanted to go to. There was another long moment of silence.

"I won't promise I will find a girl to marry," he said first, and then loosened up. "But I will attend, I suppose."

As the king suddenly jumped over the table to take his son into his arms, Armstrong's eyes teared up.

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Not only was Riza covering her ears, but Carl as well, as the two girls went through their voice lesson for the day upstairs in the music room. Riza knew the song well herself, after hearing it so often, and could probably sing it better than either of them. But she would never try. She was afraid of Lustette getting angry about ruining the song or something.

Unlike the prince, she easily kept her cool. When someone was yelling at her, she took it. When someone tried to force her to do something, she fought back. But she never yelled. She always remained calm, at least with her facial expressions.

Just as she was pouring out the bucket of dirty, soapy water into the back yard, she heard a knock on the door followed by a loud, out of tune call of a trumpet. That meant that the royal messenger was there.

A short, seemingly annoyed young boy stood at the door with a paper rolled out in front of him when she opened the door. "I, Edward Elric, the royal messenger, am sent here to deliver this letter from the King. Please send _blah blah blah ba-blech._ Just take the stinking letter," he spoke with an annoyed tone, which told Riza that they weren't the first home he'd delivered this to.

Riza reached out and took it from him. "Have a nice day," she said as a goodbye while he left to his horse, and he didn't answer. He was too busy grumbling something about 'stupid girls'. With a shrug of her shoulders, she closed the door.

She thought about opening the letter to see what it was about herself, but she decided quickly that if Lustette saw it opened before she got it, then she would be in a lot of trouble that she didn't want. Riza knocked on the door when she got to it.

Lustette slammed her fingers on the piano. "What have I told you about interrupting voice lessons? What do you need?" she hissed.

"I've just gotten a letter from the royal messenger," she answered, stepping into the room with it in her hand.

"What!?" Gluttona snatched it away.

"Let me see!" Envie grabbed it away from her.

"I'll read it," Lustette took it gently from Envie. She took a second to read it, and then her face lit up while she read it out loud. "You are invited to the royal ball tonight at the castle. It begins at ten o'clock and goes on for as long as is needed. Every eligible maiden is to attend."

"I'm a maiden!" Envie shrieked.

"I'm eligible!" Gluttona said to herself in a loving voice.

As the girls and Lustette shrieked, speaking over how they finally had a chance to be royalty, Riza spoke up.

"That means.. It means I can go, too," she said, stepping towards them confidently.

"What ever do you mean?" Lustette asked.

While Gluttona and Envie laughed over this matter, making fun of the scenarios which could happen if thing went their way, Riza exlplained to her step mother.

"It says here that every eligible maiden is to attend. And, well, as far as I know, I am an eligible maiden," she said.

"Yes, yes, I understand. You are correct. Alright, very well. You may go, if you can finish all of your chores." The girls gasped and Riza smiled brightly. She hadn't in years.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!" she could hardly stand it. Quickly she left the room in hopes that she would finish in time.

"Mother! Do you realize what you just said?" Envie asked loudly.

"Of course I do. _**If**_ she finishes her chores," she explained quietly.

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"How do you think it looks?" she asked Hayate, holding an old dress out in front of her, earning a bark from him.

"You think so? It was my mother's. It's a little out dated, but I bet I could do some things to it to make it look nicer."

"Elizabeth!" Lustette yelled from downstairs.

Riza sighed. "I'll see you in a bit. The witches are calling again."

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"I need you to sew on the hem."

"Redo this sleeve."

"Add a pink shawl."

"Sew these together."

"Make it low cut."

"Tighten this."

"Loosen this."

"Put my hair up."

"That hurts!"

"Add a few buttons."

Commands here and commands there, she could find any time to make her dress. Her chores were finished and so were the girls, but her own things weren't. When she saw the carriage arrive, she knocked on the door to tell them it was there.

"Why, Elizabeth, aren't you going?" Lustette faked her voice to sound like she actually cared that she wasn't dressed in a nice ball gown.

"I can't. I don't have anything to wear," she stared at the floor, closing her eyes tightly to stop any tears from coming. She wasn't going to allow herself to fall apart over a stupid dance.

"That's too bad. Well, let's go girls," Lustette stepped past her, and the girls followed behind with a smirk on their faces. When she weren't looking, she walking quickly back to the attic. Hayate wimpered when he saw that she had a wet face. Either she was crying, or another dog had licked her face. The second option seemed for likely for Riza.

"I can't go. It's just not possible. Besides," she said matter-of-factly as she wiped her face at the window, facing the large shining castle. "it would probably be boring anyway. Just a bunch of people dancing around and talking." She lied to herself to stop her tears, but quickly she found it wasn't working. She knew very well that it would have been the best time of her life.

In regret of not finding the time to finish it, she stepped over towards the closet in which her dress was hung up. When she opened the closet, she found not the old fashioned ballroom dress, but a modified version of it. She looked at Hayate with a large smile. "How in the world..?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Wait a minute," he stopped Armstrong from tightening his shoe. "Why am I doing this again?"

"To hopefully make some progress on your quest to find a wife."

"That's it? I'm out of here."

"To enjoy the company of the kingdom's young girls?"

"That's more like it," he sighed to himself, ruffling his hair up.

"Prince Roy--"

"Please, just call me Roy, for heaven's sakes."

"Roy, we just got through making your hair exquisite," Armstrong scowled, tightening the other shoe.

"If a girl can't love me because my hair isn't slicked back, what's the point?" Roy protested, stepping away from the mirror, fully ready for the dance.

"That's aside from the point."

"Is it?" Roy put his hands on his hips."If a girl loves me, it won't be for my hair. And if it is, she isn't a possibility for marriage."

He gave a long, heavy sigh as he stepped over to his large window, staring out into the kingdom. "I don't know, perhaps somewhere out there, my true love awaits me. But what if she doesn't come? What if I never meet her? I'm not going to marry if I can't see myself being happy for the rest of my life with the girl I marry."

"If it makes you feel any better, Your Highness, we called upon King Maes Hughes over tonight so you might feel a little more comfortable with the situation."

"What!?" Roy gaped at him, not sure if he was overly excited or if he was overly nervous. His friend was crazy about him getting married sooner or later, and he was always showing him pictures of his princess and his queen. He would just bug him about marriage. But at the same time, he would be a big confidence booster.

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"Wait!" Riza called as she ran down the steps. "Please, wait! I'm coming!" All three women stopped dead in there tracks as they watched her run towards them with a beautiful dress on. They gasped at her. Lustette noticed something right away.

"What exquisite beads you have there," she examined. "And that shawl. Don't you think so, Envie?"

Seemingly envious of her beauty more than ever, she turned away. "No, I don't think so. I think-- Wait. Those are my beads!" she yelled, pointing to them before she ripped them violently off her neck. Riza put her hand to her neck, wishing she could have allowed herself to scream. The necklace had violently ripped across her soft skin.

"That's my shawl!" Gluttona grabbed the shawl and ripped it away from the other fabric, leaving Riza with a distressed face.

"Stop it! Please!" she was loosing her cool. If she had a gun close to her, she would have aimed for their heads.

"Those are mine!"

"Give those back!"

"I can't believe you!"

"These belong to me!"

They yelled several things before ripping off different parts of her dress and throwing them to the floor, leaving her distraught. Her neck was aching and her dress was ruined. There was no way she could go now. And after all that hard work Hayate'd put into it.

"Girls, girls, that's quite enough," Lustette waved them along. "Goodnight, Elizabeth," she said, and shut the door. The whole house was silent until Hayate came running down the steps. Another dog had been licking her face.

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"Did you get a wife yet or what?" Hughes stood on the balcony with Roy as they stared down at the carriages coming down.

"Maes, I swear," he held up a fist.

"Come on, just look at those beautiful girls coming out of those carriages," he went on, and Roy gave up. He was going to be lectured all night.

"Yes, they are quite pretty," he observed, shrugging his shoulders. He couldn't base love off of beauty.

"Not handsome enough to tempt you, eh?" Maes laughed, putting his hand on Roy's shoulder.

"I can't see myself with any of those ladies down there. Not until I've spoken with them," he told his friend, shaking his head. "You were lucky and all to get someone like Gracia, but how can I expect to be as lucky?"

"There is no woman like Gracia, but there is one out there for you. Hopefully she'll be here tonight," Hughes leaned against the stone fence that kept them from falling off the edge. "Speaking of Gracia.."

"No, Hughes! I do not want to see another portrait!"

"But I even had a small pocket sized one painted of my little princess Elicia. She's three now, you know."

"Yes, I know! You tell me every time we speak to eachother!"

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do," Roy gave a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

"The introductions are starting," Armstrong called from inside his room, and Roy's body tensed.

"Calm down, man. They're just girls."

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"I don't understand," Riza dried her tears, doing her best to remain calm. "I did everything she asked. I even gave Carl a bath! But she.. she.. they.." She stopped speaking, pausing for a moment to keep herself from crying. It was just a stupid ball. She didn't need to cry over such a thing. It was too much water for one day.

Suddenly there was a flash of light outside the house, she she looked up immediately.

"What was that?" she asked Hayate, as if he could give her an answer. Slowly she stood and stepped to the door, opening it to find a black haired woman scowling at herself.

"Oh, oh, hey. Are you Elizabeth Hawkeye?" she asked, wiping her clothing off.

"Err.. Well.. Yes. Riza Hawkeye," she answered, closing the door behind her with Hayate in her arms. "Who are you?"

"I am Izumi, your fairy godmother," she said in a rather annoyed tone. It was almost like she'd said it more than once. "What do you want?"

"Excuse me?"

"What do you want? You know, like a geanie? Wish for what you want?"

"Oh yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry. I'm a bit overwhelmed with this dream," Riza put her fingers through her clipped up hair.

"Dream? Not this again," Izumi gave a heavy sigh. "You aren't in any dream. This is real. What do you want?"

"Ouch!" Riza grabbed her arm.

"What is it _now?_"

"This isn't a dream, is it?"

"Why do you suddenly believe me?"

"I pinched myself."

"That old thing? Pathetic.. What. do. you. want?"

"I.. I want to go to the ball. But I can't now," she sighed lightly, looking towards the ground. Hayate wimpered.

"Is that all? Well jeeze, you could have said that. Now where is my chalk?" she dug around her pockets until she found a large piece of chalk.

"Chalk? I thought fairies used wands," Riza reminded her.

"Wands? Oh no, wands are used for magic."

"Isn't that what you're doing?"

"Ha! Magic is for amateurs. I'm using alchemy," she said simply, using a pumpkin to create her carriage to the ball. "Now, do you have any animals?"

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**Okay, I know Izumi doesn't need chalk to make an alchemy circle, she just claps her hands. But still, I needed something to represent the wand. xD**


	5. Chapter 5

Riza did her best to remain calm while Izumi recklessly transformed several field mice and birds into beautifully decorated white horses. They were attached to a large orange pumpkin-like carriage, and the only thing missing was the coach.

"Do you happen to have a dog, by any chance?" she asked, looking over her work. She hadn't done this well in a while.

"Err.. well, why?" By know she knew she wasn't in a dream any more, but perhaps she could still be being tricked by this woman. You could never tell these days.

"You need a coach, and a dog is the best for the job. Loyal to the bone," she answered, and Riza gave a light sigh. This was all real.

"Black Hayate!" she called, and the little dog came running as quick as he could out the front doors. "Do you want to go to the ball with me?" she bent down and stroaked his coat, earning a little bark.

Izumi, yet again, performed her alchemy and transformed Hayate into a rather handsome looking young man. "Hayate, you are going to be Riza's coach. Make sure she doesn't get into any trouble, alright?"

Black Hayate barked, and then through his hands over his mouth when he did so. He didn't sound like a dog. He sounded like a human. Instead, he nodded when he learned this.

"I believe you're ready," Izumi said, looking her over.

"Well.. not quite."

"What more could you possibly need? You've got horses, you've got a carriage, you've got a coach, you've got--"

"A dress?" Riza added in, biting her lip. She didn't want to sound ungrateful. Honestly, she was completely amazed.

"Did I forget that? My goodness, you look horrible," she looked Riza up and down.

"Well, I already knew that," Riza said matter-of-factly.

"I'm too young to be this old!" Izumi yelled, and then in distress, drew the alchemy circle.

Starting from her shoes, Riza's outfit immediately began to transform into the beautiful gown she'd been dreaming of.

Her old black heels were changed into classy heels made of glass. The leggings she'd been wearing before were instantly replaced by tan knee highs. Her ripped up dress was mended and formed into a long red dress, with sleeves that left her shoulders bear but fell on the side of her arms. Her arms were covered with long white gloves, and her ears were pierced with diamond earings. Lastly, her hair was perfectly curled, starting as a slight curl at the roots and slowly turning into a heavy curl towards the bottom of her long blonde hair. Her bangs had a diamond barret keeping them out of her eyes, which were coated with mascara and brown eyeshadow.

She looked down at herself, and stared. "I'm.. I'm beautiful.."

"Beautiful? You're gorgeous! Look what I've done to you! And what a surprise? I think not. Those girls don't stand a chance against you," Izumi looked her up and down once again. Riza forced herself not to turn red.

"Thank you," she said stiffly.

"Loosen up, you've got a ball to go to. That prince of yours isn't going to fall in love with your image, he'll fall in love with _you,"_ Izumi patted her on the back. "Now get on that carriage and move out. You've already missed about thirty minutes of it. I'd say it's probably ten o'clock. Get over there and you'll have two more hours."

"Why only two?" Riza asked, stepping into the carriage. Hayate closed the door and got himself situated.

"All these things will go back to the way they were before at midnight. Make sure to leave by then!" Izumi shouted as the carriage took off. "Have fun, you!"

_Two hours, huh? I'll do what I can. I hope it'll be all I want it to be._

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Girls of every age from eighteen to twenty was swarming around Roy and Hughes. Maes refused to dance with any of them, explaining that he had a wife back at his kingdom. They were unhappy about this, but left him alone about it. Instead they went through a wave of questions, and he was more than happy to share about his lovely Elysia.

Roy, on the otherhand, was switching girls every couple of minutes in order to dance with them all. They introduced themselves and did their best to make themselves look and sound like a good wife for him, but most of them were hardly able to contain themselves in front of him.

"Nice to meet you, Miss..?" his voice shook as he reluctantly set his hand on her waist.

"Gluttona," she answered with a deep, hungry voice. She'd practiced over and over.

"Ouch!" he yelped as she stepped on his foot.

"Sorry, I'm not focused on my _footwork_," she said, hinting in her voice to other subjects.

Before he could say anything back to her, which he didn't want to do anyway, Envie pushed Gluttona out of the way and began to form circles with him. Her feet were much more coordinated.

"I'm Envie," she said, towering over him with her tall figure.

"That's nice," he said, stepping away from her. "Excuse me."

He would have told them all to leave, but he knew that his father was watching with Armstrong somewhere from the second floor, and he wouldn't be happy.

"He totally liked me better," Envie said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Whatever! He loves me," Gluttona shot back. "Ooh, I could just _eat_ him all up."

"No wonder Mother called you after Gluttony. You can't take your mind of food for a second!" Envie threw her hands on her hips.

"The nerve of you! It's no wonder Mother named you Envy. You just can't stand the fact that I might actually be better than you!" Gluttona flipped her hair.

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"I'll be back in a few hours, Hayate. Stay here, okay?" Riza told the man, and his nod replaced his bark. She held back the urge to pet his head, and stepped up the stairs. Her glass heels clicked, and she immediately felt so _classy_ and rich, almost like a princess.

The man at the door opened and closed them for her, and she left her hands at her sides while she stepped down the red carpeted hall.

"Hello," she heard an echoed voice say near her. When she stopped walking and looked around her, she heard again. "I'm over here."

She turned exactly towards the voice, and it seemed to be coming from the suit of armor. "I'm going crazy. Armor doesn't talk."

"Why shouldn't it?" the armor put it's hands on it's hips.

"What in the world..?"

"I'm Alphonse. What's your name?" he asked, sounding rather young. He had to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old.

"Riza. My name is Riza Hawkeye," she answered, still overwhelmed. "What is a talking suit of armor doing in the entrance hall?"

"I'm not actually supposed to talk. Brother told me--"

"Brother?"

"Oh, there I go again," he scowled.

"Why are you talking to me, if you aren't supposed to talk?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know.. I thought maybe I could trust you. You seemed like a nice lady."

_He is definitely thirteen,_ she thought, chuckling to herself. "Who is your brother?"

"Edward Elric is my brother. He's the royal messenger. We are here to work for money. I'm a guard and Brother delivers messages. We need the money to buy a philosopher's stone."

"A philosopher's stone? I heard those are really expensive. What would you want with one of those?"

"Brother is going to propose to an old friend of ours," he said happily. "He's going to have the stone put into the ring instead of a diamond."

"That's so romantic," she whispered. Maybe someday she would come upon a man like that.

"You'd better go on inside, or else you might miss the Roy," he directed her, pointing towards the doors to the ballroom.

"Roy?"

"The prince."

"Oh, yes, that's right. I better get going," she smiled towards him.

"Have fun, Riza," he waved.

"Thank you," she nodded, and went on her way to open the doors.

-------------------------------------------------

**I suppose they shall meet in the next chapter. OR NOT! Dundundunnnnn! **


	6. Chapter 6

"He doesn't seem very happy with any of the girls, does he?" the king said with a sorrowful tone, his head hanging low. The old man looked like he would fall off the second floor.

"Nonsense," Armstrong said, shaking his head. "He is doing fine. Give him some time."

"Time? I don't have time! I'll drop dead in ten seconds!" the king cried.

"Be optimistic, Your Highness."

"Of course, we all wish that the fairytale would come true. The dashing prince has no luck with all the other girls, but alas, a new girl walks into the quiet room, and he walks up to her, asks her to dance, and they live happily ever after! But that, my dear Duke, will never happen. I must face it. I'm never going to see my grandchildren."

"Never, you say?" Armstrong glanced over the edge towards the prince as the doors opened. "You may be completely wrong."

------------------------------------------

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Hughes," Roy complained. "All this nonsense is going to my head. What if I never find that girl?"

"Quit it. You're going to give up like that?" Maes raised his brow.

"No. But.."

"No buts, unless you want to give up," Maes stuck a finger to his chest.

"I can't believe it would be so difficult. I mean, seriously. I just sort of.. want her to find me."

"Keep dreaming, pal."

"We all wish that the fairytale would come true. The handsome prince--" Maes choked as Roy spoke "--can't find any interest in the other girls. Suddenly, a beautiful, amazing young woman walks into the ballroom, all eyes on her. The prince asks her to dance, and blah blah blah, they get married, yadah yadah happily ever after. But we all know that doesn't actually happen. If only, right?" Roy sighed lightly, staring at the dancing couples.

"It's not so unbelievable," Hughes said as he saw the door open. "With a bit of luck.."

-----------------------------------------

The music in the ballroom stopped, and so did everyone dancing to it. They stared at the young woman stepping through it's doors. A few young ladies took their freedom to smack their partner's shoulder while his jaw dropped.

Riza's glass heels clicked as she stepped slowly inside, holding back her blush when she realized every being in the room had their eyes on her.

"It's just not possible. Why would anyone fall for such a fairytale?" Roy said to Hughes while the door opened, and Maes through his hand over Roy's mouth. Roy, looking quite disgusted with his friend, pulled his mouth off of his mouth. "What?"

Maes only pointed. Roy followed his finger, and rested his eyes on the beauty that stood in front of the closed doors.

Everyone continued to stare. The orchestra looked at eachother. Roy, after much contemplating, stepped through the crowd.

"Who _is_ that girl?" Gluttona whispered to Envie.

"I've never seen her around the village before," Envie whispered back.

"She _is_ beautiful," Gluttona stared at her.

"And she looks quite familiar," Lustette entered into their gossip.

When Roy made it out of the crowd, he waved his hands. "Go on, go on. Return to your chatting and dancing," he told them in a loud voice, and they all looked at eachother as the orchestra began playing again. The noise of the ballroom was restored, as well as more speaking than before. It was obivous they had a knew young lady to discuss.

"Well, uh, thank you," she thanked him, giving a small curtsy before she began to step forward towards the crowd. It was visible to Roy, however, that she would be ambushed with loads of questions if she went off like that.

"Wait," he took her wrist, which made her glance to the floor. If she let him see her face, she would be doomed with embarrasment.

"Please excuse me," she said, tugging her wrist away.

"From what?" he chuckled softly. She was acting a lot different than all the other young girls.

"I am strictly here to see the prince," she answered, looking up to him. He still had hold of her wrist, however much she had attempted at pulling away.

Then is struck him. She didn't know who he was. She was here to find the prince, and she didn't even know what he looked like. And why should she? She didn't look like someone from the village. Most likely, she was from some other kingdom. While he wanted to let her know that he was indeed the prince, he thought that perhaps this could work to his advantage. After all, girls acted differently in front of princes. If he wasn't a prince, then why should she change for him?

"Oh, I see," he said cooly, letting go of her wrist. "Would you care to dance? The party goes on as long as necessary, after all. You have all the time in the world to meet him."

Riza looked aorund the room instead of at him. If she did look at him, she was afraid she may go red. She still hadn't had a very good view of him.

"If you insist, Sir," she said, finally looking up to him when she could demolish her blush. Roy laughed.

"Sir? Please, call me Roy," he laughed, taking her hand.

"Roy?" she thought for a moment. "You have the same name as the prince."

"It's.. uh.. a popular name here," he lied, and it worked. She didn't leave her stepmother's house often, so she wouldn't know all the boy's names.

"Is it?" she asked as they made it to the dance floor, their hands intertwined, his hand on her waist and her hand on his shoulder.

"Most definitely," he answered, sounding sure of himself. It felt sort of cruel lying to her like this, but he would tell her that he was the prince.. some time.

Riza stared at his face for a few seconds while they danced, and blushed at herself for staring, and blushed even more when she realized she was blushing. He was ever so handsome! Almost like royalty. She looked down at their quickly moving feet.

"I don't think you realize how beautiful you are," he said, studying her face as she looked back up to him, her face returned back to color.

"Please, don't flatter me," she shook her head. "I'm pitied enough."

"Pitied? Please, did you not see everyone staring at you when you walking into this room?" he asked.

"Of course. I thought maybe my hair was undone," she admitted. Why should she think it was because she was the most beautiful thing they'd seen? How humble this girl was. He'd met some pretty women in his lifetime, but none like this. And all of them thought themselves to be the most handsome women in all the world.

"You're hair?" he laughed. "The people in this room were struck with awe at how beautiful you are, not at your hair being undone."

"So it is undone!?" she stopped for a second, setting her hands on her hair to make sure it was alright.

"No, no," he put his hands on her shoulders, laughing softly. This girl was too much. "I only meant that it wasn't the reason. You are gorgeous."

"...Thank you," she regained herself quickly, forcing herself not to blush. If she appeared to be as bubbly as the rest of the girls, this young man would certainly not take any interest in her. And if he took no interest, why should the prince himself?

"That's all you have to say? You aren't going to flush and drop to the floor?" he glanced around the room, taking his hands off of her shoulders.

"Certainly not. It would interrupt everything," she shook her head quickly, smiling lightly. "I wouldn't want to create a big scene. It's a bunch of nonsense."

"Nonsense? My, you are a strange thing," he said, returning his hand to her waist.

"Strange? What makes me so strange? It is abnormal to want a peaceful night without any interruptions?" Riza and him joined hands and they began stepping in circles again.

"Actually, it is abnormal. With this bunch of girls, anyway," he answered, glancing over his shoulder, up to the second floor.

**----------------------------------------------**

**There, they met.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Alright, so I am FINISHING this story!!!! Not this chapter, of course, but I will finish it, not abandon it. Be Happy!

**CHAPTER BEGINS NOW!**

"Louis! Do you see that? _Did you see that?_" the king was practically leaning off the edge of the small balcony.

"Yes, Sir. I can see the two with my very eyes, yes," Armstrong answered, giving off a sigh. The king was very over dramatic about every situation. "Don't fall off the edge."

"I would not be so careless as to _fall off the edge._ Dear boy, do you take me for a fool?" he asked, not looking back at the tall Duke. A pause of silence was present before he spoke again. "Don't answer that."

"Never. "

"Do you think she could be the one?"

"The one, Sir?"

"You know, the _one_."

"That one! Of course, there is the possibility. Don't get your hopes up, Sir."

"Why not? Why shouldn't I get my hopes up? He has a perfect chance with her! Don't tell me I'm wrong!"

"Your blood pressure, Sir."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Armstrong."

* * *

Riza laughed lightly, looking up to his face. There was a tint of happiness there, and it didn't seem very familiar to him. It seemed like a fresh smile, one that didn't appear on his face often. She thought that she might have a smiliar look on her face.

"Do you.. get out often?" he asked her, trying to think up questions that weren't awkwardly personal.

"No, actually," she answered honestly. "I.. I sort of stay at home quite a bit." She had trouble calling it her home, but what else was she supposed to say? _My dungeon?_

"This would explain why I have never seen you before. You aren't from around here, are you?"

"Not exactly, no," she told him, feeling a little guilty. It wasn't a complete lie. They live sort of along the edges of town, so it took longer to get there than anywhere else.

"I'm surprised by you," he said, and realized after he did that it didn't exactly fit the previous conversation. She was looking at him with a confused look. "I mean.. I usually hate dances, honestly."

"You.. you hated dances? How could you ever think such a thing?" she asked, surprised by his confession. She always thought the idea of Royal Balls were dreamy.

"My father always.. Well, never mind. The point is, I actually enjoy dancing with you. You have depth. You aren't just trying to get on my good side."

"Why would I try to do that?" she asked, tilting her head.

"No reason," he wouldn't mention that girls swooned just because he was the prince. "I just.. I don't know." What was he supposed to say? _I'm attracted to you?_

"You just what?" she questioned him, lifting her brow. He was quite confusing, yet enchanting. When he spoke.. you couldn't look away.

"I feel like I know you. I feel like.. well, I guess I just like you," he said, and they both noticed how childish that sounded. Yet, it was the only way he could put it into words.

"You.. like me?" she asked, shaking her head. Her hand released his and she took a step back. "I'm sorry. I need to find the prince. Thank you for the dance, but I must go now."

"Wait, I am the—" he began, reaching out to her. He pulled back his arm.

"You are the what?"

"I am… not.. done with you."

"Excuse me?"

"Excuse my foolish language, please. I just don't want you to go yet. Please—will you accompany me to the garden?" he asked, placing his hand out in front of him.

Riza stood there in silence for a moment. She liked this man. She liked this man _a lot._ But she didn't want to waste time with him when she should be spending the last hour of her time with the prince. However, she couldn't turn down the offer. He was just too charming. If she didn't know any better, she would have said he was the prince.

"Well.."

"Please?"

She placed her hand over his, and a bright smile grew across his face.

"You won't regret it," he said, pulling her along to the double doors.

"I'd better not. I only have one—well, I just want to be with the prince before I leave tonight," she told him, her overly organized self taking over.

"You aren't leaving soon, are you?" he asked, almost sounding concerned.

"Not soon," she answered, hoping that to him an hour wasn't soon.

"Good, good, then I have plenty of time with you," he said, leading her through the small pathway of the garden. The moon was shining very brightly, almost full.

"Why are you so interested in me? There are much better girls in there," she reminded him, and he shot her a surprised look.

"Dear woman, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen, and still the most humble. You must allow me to praise you, for I have never come upon such a thing like you," he stopped walking, taking both of her hands now.

She felt a small tingle inside of her. Maybe a spark of happiness, or just the natural butterflies. She'd never been this close to a man in her entire life, her father aside.

Riza took her hands from him and walked on, attempting to ignore his complements. She knew very well she would have to forget them the next day.

He looked over his shoulder, watching her walk off without him. However was he lucky enough to meet such a thing?

"Hold on, don't run off without me," he chuckled, jogging to catch up with her. She didn't slow down.

"If I interest you so greatly, why don't you tell me about yourself so I may dare return the thought," she looked over her shoulder.

"Well, I am eligible for marriage, if that's the kind of thing you want to hear," he flirted, and he caught a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

"Do not try to tempt me," she smirked lightly, stopping for a moment to take a look at the large stone fountain in the middle of the garden.

"But I find it ever so delightful. How happy would I be if you were to return my feelings?" he said wistfully.

"Just don't quote Shakespeare. I hear the wrong pronunciations all day, and I'll have none of it from you."

"I just love your sense of humor."

"I'm serious."

"Do you think that I might ever learn your name?" he asked, stepping closer. His hands found her hands, and she turned to face him.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"If I like you enough to tell it to you," she playfully noted.

"How will I know? How will I know if you like me enough to tell me?" he asked, their faces inches apart.

And then the clock rang.

Her hour was up.


	8. Chapter 8

"I need to go," she pulled her hands from his with ease.

"What are you talking about? It's only midnight," he held his hands out to her as she moved quickly away from him. She picked up speed as she went from a walk to a sprint for the door.

"I need to… see the prince," she shouted, and he brought his hand to his head before he began running after her. She could have come up with a better excuse than that. But under her time crunch, she didn't care what she said. As long as she got out of the place without him seeing her in her true form.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? I _am_ the prince! Wait!"

She was both happy she'd almost kissed the prince, and disgusted that she'd been fooled into thinking he wasn't the prince.

They were both running now. She was ahead by a few yards. For once, she was grateful to her step-mother for being so brutal towards her. Without it, she never would have been able to run this fast. Slowly her hair began to come undone, and it was sailing behind her. Anything that was keeping her hair looking nice was falling out. Riza pushed through the crowd of the ballroom, all eyes turned towards her. The dancing stopped as Roy chased her.

Lustette narrowed her eyes, following the girl with her eyes. Riza was so preoccupied with getting the hell out of there that she didn't realize that she'd ran right past her step-mother.

_She looks oddly like… like Elizabeth. No, that's not possible. She… she couldn't have._

Then Lustette noticed the rare color of the girls eyes, and she was persuaded.

_She couldn't have. But she did._

"To hell with these shoes," Riza muttered, stopping for a split second to take off her heels. She held them with her hands and began running. While she would have preferred to stay looking nice, her first priority was getting out of this building without him seeing her change.

Roy's heart was thumping. Not only from exhaustion, but from a feeling he couldn't describe. He'd never met a girl so… real. He even admired the fact that she'd decided to take off her shoes. Any other girl he'd ever met would have kept running with them in fear of looking shabby.

"At least tell me your name!" he called after her. The ballroom erupted in chatter when the ballroom doors closed. She ran down the hallway, and the guards stood in front of the door to block her from leaving. It wasn't so much that she was a threat, but the prince was running after her for a reason. So they took the initiative to help.

For a minute, Roy was glad they were there to stop her. He stopped running, relieved. But then he saw her shove them aside like dominos and run for the door.

"Are you _kidding_ me?"

She just took down five of his guards with no weapon. This girl was beautiful and could defend herself.

And she could run _really _fast.

She was getting all the more appealing.

Roy took off in a sprint to get her, but when he got outside, he could see a carriage riding away into the night. And he still didn't know her name. So he kept running.

As soon as they turned the corner, everything turned to dust. She was back in her original clothing and her feet were bare. Hayate chased away all the mice. Her eyes watered up, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry. She was stronger than that.

So she stood up on her bare feet and walked down the empty street. Everyone was still at the ball. She didn't have to worry about anybody seeing her.

Then the gates opened and Roy came running out of them, turning the same corner as her.

Riza turned her head around to face him. Surely he wouldn't recognize her without her made up beauty and her gown. She still had a small hope that maybe he would.

But he didn't.

"Excuse me," he ran up to her, about to ask if she'd seen a carriage walk away. But when she turned to him, he saw how tattered and torn she was. She looked so familiar. But he couldn't decide where he'd seen her.

"Have… seen a carriage riding away that way?" he asked quietly, still pressing in his head who she was. It felt as if he'd just seen her very recently. He felt happy around her, and he couldn't pinpoint why.

"No, I'm sorry, Sir," she answered, returning her face to her normal mask of hidden emotions. If there were one person in the world she didn't want to have see her like this, it was him. If only she could tell him. But how could she? He would hardly believe her. And once he found out the girl he'd met earlier was just a maid girl withering away in her attic, what would he think?

"Have I seen you somewhere?" he asked, stepping a bit closer. He reached out to touch her face, but she moved back just as quickly.

"Never, Sir. I tattered young girl as me couldn't be caught around the palace," she said, bobbing her head in the direction of his home. "I'm afraid we have never met."

"You remind me of someone," he said, putting his arm back to his side.

"Oh? Who might that be?" she got a light of hope in her eyes.

"I'm not sure. You just seem so familiar to me," he scratched the back of his head, looking elsewhere.

"I see," she settled herself down. He wasn't going to see her for the girl at the ball.

"Now what is a beautiful girl like you doing on the streets alone?"

She looked back up to him, shocked that he would compliment her in her state of being. "Just talking Black Hayate here for a walk around the town."

"It's dangerous. There are creeps this late at night, you know," he explained. "Let me walk you home."

"No!" she said a little too fiercely, then quickly regained her posture. "I mean… no, but thank you. I don't want your reputation to be severed."

"I insist."

She couldn't allow him to see where she lived.

"Sir, the other girls in the ballroom are waiting," she folded her hands behind her back.

Roy raised a brow, and then he let out a sigh. Stubborn girl.

"Yes, they are. Stay safe. What is your name?"

Riza shook her head. "It's better if you don't know."

"What could that possibly mean?" He stepped forward to get a better look of her in the porch lights around them, but she stepped back again.

"I need to go," she turned and left him standing there without so much as a good bye.

Hayate followed her all the way back to her prison, or home. Whichever word you preferred. There she climbed the stairs to the attic, or room. Again, whichever word you preferred.

She knelt down on the stair way, seating herself uncomfortably with Hayate in her lap.

And for the rest of the night alone, she wished she were dead. Not for the prince. Not because she knew she would never see him again. No, he was only salt to the wound.

Riza was sick. Not physically. But sick of her step sisters. Of her step mother. Of the farm animals. Of the broom. Of the bad Shakespeare quotes. Of ripped clothes. Of old shoes. Of blisters on her feet. Of her education going to waste. Of her life. She wanted out of this hell hole. But how could she leave what her father had left her, even if it wasn't what he had intended?

Whether or not she hated them, these people were her only tie to her deceased father.

**A/N: I have returned. Sorry for the wait. Writing has definitely not been my top priority as of the last few months.**


	9. Chapter 9

"And you didn't get her _name_?" Maes burried his face in his hands. "I knew you were pathetic, but seriously? I'd understand if it was her favorite color. But.. but.. her _name_, Roy. Isn't that usually the first thing you _learn_ about a woman?"

"She wouldn't tell it to me, Maes," Roy repeated while he paced in front of the bench on which Maes was sitting.

"What are you going to tell your father?" Maes lifted his head out of his hands. Despite this gesture, he made no movement to look at his friend.

"I don't know, Maes," Roy answered him, neither his tone nor his repetition of steps changing.

"You've got to find her, you know that, right?" Maes stood and put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I know, Maes," Roy stopped pacing, but his tone remained the same. He wasn't listening. He heard his friend, but he wasn't listening. He was just trying to rethink the night. Backtrack his memory for clues as to who she was or who else might know her, or even anyone who had talked to her previously. There wasn't anyone. He had been the first to greet her into the ballroom.

"But her _name_-"

"I **know**, Maes!" Roy's fist flew into the wall. It was made of stone so it's condition was fine. His was not.

"Hold yourself together, man. It's just a name. You'll figure it out sometime," Maes held his hands up in defense.

A vein in Roy's forehead pulsed while he restrained himself from strangling his best friend.

"But really – Who else talked to her? You couldn't have been with her the whole night," Maes suggested, but Roy shook his head.

"Nobody else spoke to her. I was the first to meet her at the door, remember?"

"Yeah. The ballroom door. What about before that? Where there any guests in the hallway?"

"No, just that guard we hired," Roy began pacing again in thought.

"Is it possible that she spoke to him?" Maes rubbed the lenses of his glasses on the sleeve of his shirt.

Roy stopped in place. "If it were anyone else I would not think so. But she.. she just might have."

X-X

"Get rid of it," Edward ordered his brother in a monotone voice. How many times had he gone over this?

"But look at him!" Alphonse held the orange kitten in front of his brother's face. "Isn't Spot just so.. so.."

"Wait – you named him, Al? You actually named it?"

"Of course."

"You named him Spot."

"Yes."

"He has striped hair."

"Yes."

"That makes no sense."

"It doesn't have to."

Edward's hand met his face. "Why would you give a name to something so small and insignificant, anyway?"

"The same reason you were named," Roy answered him, setting his hand on Edward's head and leaning on it.

"_Who-are-you-calling-so-small-he-doesn't-deserve-a-name!_" Edward shouted, waving his arms frantically with his hair standing up on end.

"Relax, kid. I didn't say anything about how small you were. But now that you mention it.."

"If you weren't royal I'd-"

"Ed," Alphonse cut in. "Sorry, Your Highness. Is there anything we can do for you?"

Roy straigtened up, his arms at his sides rather than on Ed's head. Ed rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. "I was looking for the messanger boy here to get you, but I guess I won't have to send for you because you're right here," Roy answered.

"You were looking for me?" Alphonse said with disbelief.

"Yes. I need to speak with you regarding yesterday night's dance. I'm aware you were guarding the hallway, correct?"

"Yes, Sir, as I was told to."

Roy nodded. "Did you meet anybody? More specifically, a woman?"

Alphonse had to ponder this for a few moments. He'd seen so many people pass by the night before it was hard to recall who he'd spoken to. There was that couple who inspected him out of curiosity of his different design of armor. All the other suits of armor were made by a different person. Then there was that younger man who thought it funny to stick a twig through his eye slits. The only person he remembered interacting with was that girl that was late. But why did he want to know about her?

"Well, yes. She came very late to the dance," Alphonse answered, unsure of his response. He was telling the truth, but he hoped it was what the prince would want to hear. No use being the cause of him being down.

"Yes, yes!" Roy shouted. "What did she look like?"

"Very lovely blonde hair, I think. And the most strange color of eyes-"

"That's her, that's her! What was her name, Alphonse? What. Was. Her. _Name_?" Roy was very close to the boy now.

"Riza, Sir. Riza Hawkeye."

"Maes!" Roy called, racing down the hall. "Maes, you fool, where are you!"

X-X

"Keep looking! She's got to be here somewhere. Look for Hawkeye. She's got to have some relatives living here somewhere," Roy said quickly to Maes while they searched through the town membership records. Every person living in the kingdom had a record in these files. It was just a matter of time before they found it.

"There are just so many, Roy. This will take days," Maes said discouragingly.

"Let it take days. Let it take years if it must. I've got to find this woman, Maes. I've got to."

"You say it like you've found your true love. Calm down, we aren't in a fairytale. It's not like you are going to fit her foot in a slipper and find out she's the one," Maes took a ten second break to rub his temples.

"This isn't my true love, Maes. But I just have this feeling I need to find her. I need to find Riza Hawkeye," Roy explained.

"Roy," Maes said quietly.

"Maes, not now. We need to find the name," he said.

"No Roy, you don't understand," Maes looked up from the file. "I found her."

X-X

"I told you not to go, didn't I?"

"Yes, Lustette."

"But you went anyway, didn't you?"

"Yes, Lustette."

Riza didn't want to throw away her dignity for a lie. Lustette wasn't stupid and she knew it. Somehow she'd found out that it was her at the dance the night before and there was no use in hiding it. She'd find out some other way if she didn't tell the truth, and then she would be punished in much worse ways.

Lustette paused, unsure of how to continue. She'd had this all planned out based on Riza lying to her. But she'd just admitted to it. What was she supposed to do now?

"You looked exquisite, I'll give you that. I can only begin to imagine how on Earth you managed to get ahold of that dress. I knew you were low, but so much so that you would steal from a neighbor? It looks bad on us. Really, Elizabeth, I can't imagine what got into you."

"Hold on right there," Riza protested, standing from the chair she sat in. Lustette set her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't," she replied before she shoved Riza back into her seat,"even try to talk back to me, witch. Don't think you can get away with ruining my night, or my life for that matter. Don't think you can be as good as my daughters. Don't think you are _one_ of my daughters. And _don't you dare_ even _think _that for one moment, the prince would ever care for _you._"

Lustette removed her tightening grip from Riza's shoulder and stepped away, turning her back to her. Riza remained silent.

"What I can't decide is how to deal with you," she went on in a more calm manner. "I can't break the law. No, that wouldn't be good for the girls' reputation, you know. But I don't want to add on the chores. You already do everything around here, I'll admit, and I don't think there is much else to do."

Riza stared into the wall on the other side of the room, refusing to look at her step mother. Lustette leaned against the window and glanced out it just as a small carriage stopped by the home. Her eyes widened at the little messenger climbing out of it.

Immediately she flew to Riza's side.

"To the attic, to the attic!"

"What- Why?" Riza asked quickly as she was rushed up the stairs.

"You are you going to have to stand a good amount of solitary confinement," Lustette answered in a hurry. The door was opened, closed, and locked just in time for the door bell to ring. She wasn't going to have Riza ruining her daughters' future with the prince any more than she already had.

"Envie! Envie, where are you!"

"Mother, what is it?" Envie called from the hallway down the stairs.

"Find your blonde wig, child. You're meeting the prince tonight."


	10. Chapter 10

"Um, you mean that one from the musical I was in when I was a kid? How is that going to fit me now? And what are you even talking about?" Envie muttered to herself, watching as her mother ran down the stairs. One minute she was shoving Riza into the attic, the next telling her to find a wig, the next flying down the stairs like a wicked old witch. She could hear Riza pounding on the door, and that was when she actually looked out the window to see the little short boy coming to the door.

Annoyed with herself for not acting as quickly as her mother, she raced to her own bedroom. Clothing material flung across the room while she dug through her old clothes. She'd never moved so quickly in her life, snipping the wig to look as close to Riza's own hair as she could. As soon as she had it on, she could only hope that wherever her and the prince had gone off to the previous night, it had been dark. Envie looked hardly anything like Riza. Good thing she was good at voice impersonations.

Lustette opened the door, trusting that Envie had fixed herself up in time. "Hello, Sir. Is there anything I can do for you today?" As if she didn't already know what the kid was doing here.

"I'm here by royal orders, sent to bring Riza Hawkeye and her family to the castle, immediately," Edward looked up towards the tall woman. He had to admit that she was good looking herself, although a lot more revealing that what was normally accepted in society.

"Oh, that's just perfect! I'll send for my girls. Gluttona! Riza! Come down here," she called, gesturing for the boy to come in to the home. He shook his head.

"We need to leave as soon as possible. The prince is not patient," he said.

Lustette glanced back towards her two girls coming down the stairs, motioning for them to hurry themselves.

"She called for Riza, not you," Gluttona whispered to her sister.

"I am Riza, now. That is, if I want a future with the prince," Envie smirked to herself.

"We have been sent for, girls. We are going to the castle," Lustette shot a look at Envie. Envie knew she couldn't mess this up.

"Make haste," Edward grumbled. He wasn't good at being polite, and never had been.

"This is Gluttona, and this is Riza, the specific one sent for," Lustette said, beaming with fake pride.

"Would you guys hurry up? My life will practically be on the line if we don't make this snappy, so shut up and get in the cart!" Edward's voice rose just below a shout.

Lustette's smile fell as she made her way to the cart with her daughters following close behind.

'Not everyone cares about her ugly daughters, Prissy,' he thought, situating himself in the driver's seat.

X-x

"Let me out!" Riza kicked at the door. She could hear Envie searching for her wig, Lustette greeting the messenger, introducing Envie as her.

She sat next to the door quietly listening, annoyed that Lustette thought she could pass off Envie off as anyone other than her own ugly self.

Riza wasn't going to cry. She didn't even feel like crying. She felt annoyed, irritated and angry. The only way she would get out of this was to think. She would have to pick the lock or worse, climb out the window and find a way off the roof.

She began to search boxes. There were too many, and none of them were going to have anything small enough to pick a lock with. But she knew why she searched for so long, anyway. She hoped maybe Lustette had decided to keep some of his things instead of selling every last piece. It turned out, after searching through almost the entire attic, that she had sold it. All of it. Every last item that Riza had to remind her of him, gone. She shut her eyes for a moment, got on her feet, and made her way to the roof. It was the only option she had left. She had to get out of there.

X-x

"Would you look at that, Envie? Would you look at that?" Lustette could hardly contain herself. She was almost bouncing in her seat as much as the girls were.

"I do, I do, I _do_. That's my new home, right?"

"That's right. I think we will be staying there as well. I can't imagine the prince would let your family stay in such a mucky place. Just request it and it will happen, I'm sure, if he really does love you, _Riza_," she said.

"Oh, that's right, I'm Riza now, I forgot," she nodded her head, adjusting the wig. "Um, Mommy, am I going to have to sleep with this on?"

"Only until you are married, Dearest."

The cart pulled to a stop. Edward opened their door. They slowly began to file out, about 1 mpd (mile per decade).

"Hurry up. I'm growing a beard," Edward muttered. Lustette glared at him as she waited for her girls to step out. He closed the door and led the horse away. "The door is over there."

"Aren't you going to escourt us?" she asked him, shocked by his nerve.

"Why should I? You know the way," he said, not turning around to look back at him.

Just as they made it to the large doors, they opened, and they found a very hyped up prince running their way. "Riza! Riza, you're here!"

He had the most happy look on his face.

And then it left.

"Oh. Oh, well, uh, see.. Sorry, I was expecting someone else," he apologized.

Lustette nugded Envie in the side. Envie stepped forward, and using a high voice, said, "Roy, it's me."

"Sorry, have we met?"

"Don't you remember? You sent for me. I'm Riza Hawkeye."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Riza? Is that really you?"

"Yes, Roy, it's really me."

"Well, I.. um, I guess it was a uh, dark room," he pulled at his collar. This was not the Riza he remembered.

"You're just as handsome as I remember! Oh Roy, I'm so happy to see you," she smiled with her crooked teeth. He grimaced.

"Roy! Roy, is this the girl?" Roy's father came from behind him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Really, Roy, this is _her_?"

"I guess so," he muttered. "I mean, yes, of course this is her. She had, um, come down with a cold, I'm.. afraid."

"Well, then, the wedding must go on!"

Roy looked from his father to this gross girl in front of him with whom he'd just agreed to marry.

Had he really been that delusional to think she'd been beautiful?


End file.
